


Heart of steel and skin like glass

by DrMinty



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Female Zuko (Avatar), Gen, Gender or Sex Swap, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Mentioned Ozai (Avatar), Past Abuse, Toph Beifong & Zuko Friendship, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-12 17:21:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29014266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrMinty/pseuds/DrMinty
Summary: “Well that’s ridiculous, you’re anything but glass” she snorts, going back to wiping some more places down, she really wanna wake up with dust in her eyes.“If anything you’re steel, a very resistant steel.”Tooth pursed her lips, seemingly satisfied with her answer and feeling a growing respect for the Princess having lived almost the same life.“Thanks, and the others may not fully trust you yet but I think you’re alright.”Even without the Earth Bender’s sight Zuko was still glad her own back was turned to hide the smile.OrTwo girls from high class family bond over the expectations put on them from young ages.
Relationships: Toph Beifong & Zuko
Comments: 2
Kudos: 67





	Heart of steel and skin like glass

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t really do well with short stories because I feel like I rush it but this was all that I could write, I hope it’s not as bad i as I think it is and you enjoy it.

Toph sat quietly as she listened to the shuffle of Princess Zuko walk around the room, they hadn’t exactly been forced to room together but they didn’t really like the idea of it either.

But still, Toph had questions for the princess and she intended to get answers.

“Hey!” She called, shuffling in the general direction of Zuko. 

“What’s it like being a Princess?” 

She hears the fire bender feet flatter in their movements, before the resume again walking around the left of her, the place they had gotten was old and dusty but it had been raining and appa was exhausted. You had to just make do sometimes.

She assumed the Princess was trying to clean up so they didn’t wake up too dirty from the room, not that toph would’ve cared being an Earth Bender.

Her voice is void of emotion. 

“I don’t know, Ask Azula.” She grunts masking the sting of the question but hearts don’t lie. And toph hears the quiet skip of hurt. 

Toph said she intended to get answers and that’s not the one she wants.

“Tch, you were a Princess in a kingdom until you were thirteen, doesn’t matter you don’t have some topknot like sokka anymore, you’re still of royal blood. Now tell me, what was it like being a princess?”

Zuko paused briefly, memories flashing from her mother, to her father, azula,  _ uncle. _

And finally…

“It sucked”

“...it sucked?” The earth bender echos, this was getting somewhere.

“Yeah, lots of rules, what to dress, how to behave.”

“What to say” she says gingerly touches her scar.

“If I knew then, what I knew on that damn boat I would have just sailed and never looked back.”

Toph is quiet, Zuko looks over her shoulders to find the girl in deep thought.

“Sounds like my parents kind of, they always treated me like glass cuz’ I was blind. They said they would marry me off to some big strong man so I could live comfortably for the rest of my days.”

Zuko feels her shoulders droop, she understands that. She remembers the suitors that came and went as she was a child. 

She remembers the lessons, her mother teaching her and azula to smile and be quiet, because being quiet and smiling meant safety. Meant no pain.

Painfully, she had been right.

“Well that’s ridiculous, you’re anything but glass” she snorts, going back to wiping some more places down, she really wanna wake up with dust in her eyes. 

“If anything you’re steel, a very resistant steel.”

Tooth pursed her lips, seemingly satisfied with her answer and feeling a growing respect for the Princess having lived almost the same life. 

“Thanks, and the others may not fully trust you yet but I think you’re alright.”

Even without the Earth Bender’s sight Zuko was still glad her own back was turned to hide the smile. 


End file.
